Short answer: Yes—but only in some places, and only if you squint at the map. In Scotland, the limit dropped in 2014 to 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, down from 80. Meanwhile, the rest of the UK (England, Wales, and Northern Ireland) are still stubbornly clinging to the 80 mg figure like a drunk uncle at a wedding buffet.
So, if you’re driving from London to Edinburgh, you better pack a breathalyzer and a lawyer. It’s like the alcohol limit is playing a game of geography bingo—and Scotland is the wild card nobody warned you about.
But wait—what about the whole world? Did everyone else get the memo?
Globally, the trend is clear: most countries are tightening the screws, not loosening them. In the United States, the national limit is 0.08% BAC (same as England’s 80 mg), but Utah dropped to 0.05% in 2018. That’s like going from “two beers” to “one tiny sip and a prayer.” Meanwhile, Sweden and Norway laugh at your puny limits—they’ve been at 0.02% for years, which is basically “don’t even look at a bottle of kombucha before driving.”
And here’s a surprising fact that will make you spit out your latte: In Russia, the limit was once zero—yes, zero—until they realized people were getting fined for drinking kefir, a fermented milk drink. Kefir. Milk. That’s like penalizing someone for eating yogurt too aggressively. They eventually raised the limit to 0.16% just to avoid arresting half the dairy aisle.
Drink-driving limits: What you need to know | Swansway Blog
